Don't ever cut this material as it will ruin the optics, cause the metal of the machine to corrode, and ruin the motion control system.

Thick ( >1mm ) Polycarbonate/Lexan

Cut very poorly, discolor, catch fire

Polycarbonate is often found as flat, sheet material. The window of the laser cutter is made of Polycarbonate because polycarbonate strongly absorbs infrared radiation! This is the frequency of light the laser cutter uses to cut materials, so it is very ineffective at cutting polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is a poor choice for laser cutting.

ABS

Emits cyanide gas and tends to melt

ABS does not cut well in a laser cutter. It tends to melt rather than vaporize, and has a higher chance of catching on fire and leaving behind melted gooey deposits on the vector cutting grid. It also does not engrave well (again, tends to melt).

HDPE/milk bottle plastic

Catches fire and melts

It melts. It gets gooey. Don't use it.

PolyStyrene Foam

Catches fire

It catches fire, it melts, and only thin pieces cut. This is the #1 material that causes laser fires!!!

PolyPropylene Foam

Catches fire

Like PolyStyrene, it melts, catches fire, and the melted drops continue to burn and turn into rock-hard drips and pebbles.

Fiberglass

Emits fumes

It's a mix of two materials that cant' be cut. Glass (etch, no cut) and epoxy resin (fumes)

Coated Carbon Fiber

Emits noxious fumes

A mix of two materials. Thin carbon fiber mat can be cut, with some fraying - but not when coated.

Any powder

the compressed air will blow it away

Bare metal

Animals

People

Butane lighters

Gasoline or other liquids

Laser settings

Imagine you want to cut through stickers but leave the backing intact. What power and dpi did you use for this last time? Lets keep that info here!

I directly stole this from NYC Resistor's laser page!

Material

Focus*

Vector

Raster

Notes

Speed

Power

Freq

Speed

Power

DPI

Cardboards

Bainbridge board "172"

45

60

500

Slot width ~1.28mm

Card Stock 110 lb

62

22

2500

100

5

Cardboard 1/8"

30

60

500

50

15

Conservative, try a speed of 35 or 40

Double-layer 1/4"

20

60

500

Foam Core Fire risk--polystyrene foam

35

100

5000

Previously 60/90/2500 - didn't cut all the way through.

Staples Sticker Paper

100

7

500

Cuts through sticker but not backing

USPS thin envelope

95

20

500

Fabriano 140lbs Watercolor Paper

100

60

Etches in very well, leaving clean paper underneath

Wood

Cork 3/32"

+2

70

100

5000

Works great. McMaster #9487K2

Luan 1/8

+2

30

100

5000

Purchased from Dyke's Lumber off 3rd Avenue (speed of 25 might work better)

Luan 1/4

+2

5

100

5000

Two passes. Purchased from Dyke's Lumber off 3rd Avenue - I THINK THIS IS WRONG - RB

Luan 1/4

+2

16-18

100

5000

I got much better results with 16-18% speed, +2 focus, one pass on 12 Feb 2013 - but it left some attached fibers on the back side. A second quick pass at +5 maybe? - RB

Poplar wood 1/4"

17

100

500

Not sure about the frequency, seems to work at lower ones too

MakerBot wood 5 mm

7

100

500

Manual focus is key. Move the bed up until the metal focusing thing just touches the plywood surface. Then move the bed up by pressing the Up button five times. Hit Reset and then Go. Rock! Then move the bed up another five pushes and run again at 50% speed.

Plywood, unknown, 1/8"

7

100

500

even 1/8" plywood takes two passes at 7 or 6% speed. Lots of charring.

Leather can be pressed by ironing the backside with a layer of tissue between the iron and the leather. Masking tape on the backside also helps it lay flat. Smells bad.

Leather (3-4mm)

40

50

1000

Needs two passes. Depending on the tanning process, you may have burned edges.

Neoprene (2mm)

30

100

1000

Like BUTTAH. Not sure about toxicity. We'll see if I survive.

Cotton (will darken)

60

20

200

Buffalo Horn (5mm)

6

100

5000

Same settings as 1/4" acrylic, depending on depth, may work faster speed, smells pretty awful

HP Laptop - ETCH

100

23

2500

Vector etch pattern, probably could have been slightly lower-power

iPhone rev 1.0

100

40

600

Mini Moleskins ( cardboard brown )

100

69

600

Nintendo DS 1st Ed.

100

35

600

Quartz(?) rocks

20

100

Acrylic felt (black)

40

50

800

Felt is porous; needed a cardboard or masking tape backing so the laser could focus. Also, these settings cut a wide kerf. Experimenter recommends a faster speed (maybe 100) and lower power. May help to iron the felt with a fabric iron first, so it's nice and flat.

100% Wool felt (beige)

40

50

800

May help to iron the felt with a fabric iron first, so it's nice and flat, then aid focus and flatness by applying masking tape to the back of the felt. Tape also prevents burn schmutz from sticking to felt. Smells nasty, bring a ziplock bag to transfer your cutouts into.

NiAg 752 "german silver"

Doesn't work at all, even for etching. save yourself from the frustration :P

Speedball Speedy-Cut Easy (rubber stamps)

80

100

Very noxious, would not cut again. Created large amounts of debris, not good. Otherwise cutting was good, 2 passes at these settings.